Is a Win-Win Solution Really Necessary?

SO, for the last couple of classes we have been doing some role play to practice reaching a win-win solution. I have personally enjoyed negotiating and such but every time we do, a question pops into my head; is a win-win solution ever really necessary in real life?

In the movie Wall Street, Gordon Gekko leaves a  memorable quote saying 'It's a zero sum game, somebody wins, somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred from one perception to another.' This line, I think is the reality of negotiations concerning money which is, well almost every negotiation. Everybody wants to win and I'm not sure if they consider a win-win solution itself even a win because some might say that a win-win is already a defeat for both parties. Even for the negotiation we had on Friday, we were careful to gather information so we could have a win-win but in reality, a WIN situation would be for Koji and I to have the best service at the lowest price say a 1000$ and a WIN situation for the other party Take and Robyn would be for them to give the lowest service at the highest price say 1600$. We finally settled on a pretty good service at 1200$(?) I think but my question is, how can that mean the same 'WIN' when there are other solutions that could be a bigger WIN. Is there a range of win like say it was a high-win or a low win...?

When ending wars, a win-win is definitely necessary because you NEED both parties to be happy in order to achieve peace. However, between corporations, you don't really need it that much because one wins and one sinks and that's all.

Gordon Gekko explains what greed really is in this video...

I don't mean to imply that skills to achieve win-win solutions are unnecessary. I'm just saying that from another perspective, always searching for a win-win solution may ultimately lead for your loss and that we gotta be careful.

Leading at the Edge #2

 When I tried to recall the leaders I had encountered throughout my high school years, i could only think of two types of leaders.

1. leaders who sacrifice their social lives and become hated but still do all of their work 

2. leaders who don' t do any of their work but are popular amongst their followers.

I guess this is just because i was in a relatively conventional high school where nothing new was accepted and leaders too, were perceived as the #1 categorized leaders. There, they always kept the subtle distance between the leader and the followers just like in Japanese companies. However, in such relationships, 'trust' is the most important element and obviously that isnt achievable with distance. Kristi raised an interesting point during the discussion. When you personally know that leader it's hard to hate him/her but when there's a distance it's easier because it makes you and your opinion more anonymous.

In my opinion, in order to become a good leader, you need not only the knowledge but the likability, the charisma and the trust. Being a leader doesnt mean you need to be able to get everything right nor does it mean you need to kiss your followers' butts for likability. This all needs to come in one package.

Anyways, in Leading at the Edge, it is said that Shackleton gave a speech that changed the attitudes of the followers completely.
 My favorite speech ever to exist is from a movie called The Great Dictator.
The way Charlie Chaplin expresses his emotions here is just...I can't even explain it. haha

Now THAT is a way to end war.


Aside from that here's my favorite speech ever to be given by a youngster. Even though he's a kid, we can't cut him short cause he got his intonations, stresses and postures just right!

Can I Have 10 Chocol- I Mean, Snake Eggs in Total Please?

Throughout this week, we practiced negotiating by trying to come up with win-win solutions within our assigned groups.

The Oranges

For the two oranges, my partner Joki and I decided that I keep 1.5 of the oranges and make one small cake whilst Joki had half of the orange to drink. We both agreed and I personally thought it was a win-win solution but after listening to the group talk about using the outerside of the orange for the cake and the inside for the drink, I realized that our solution was not a win-win but a rather compromise.

The chocol- cough* I Mean Snake Eggs

For the snake eggs, Masamune(buyer 1) and I(buyer 2) decided to divide the eggs so we would both get the parts we wanted. Maki(seller) agreed to this but later on we discussed if this were the real world, Maki would have totally dumped me and let Masamune have the 10 whole eggs because that way, she would have gotten more money.


I guess in both of these situations, we realize that in reality, there is always greed involving negotiations and that is the root for why companies, countries, people never reach a solution that is fair for both parties.

 This reminded me of my high school experience in being part of the Model United Nations club. It was basically just us participating in international youth conferences as ambassadors and such.
  Here's an image!

 Anyways, for my first conference, I was representing the PLO(Palestinian Liberal Organization.) We discussed food security for the Palestinian refugees and throughout the conference, we agreed to many plans that would help our country. However, problem was,,,nobody represented Israel. I still don't know why the faculty didn't let anyone represent Israel but still, I couldn't help but think it would probably have been close to impossible for us to make even one solution if Israel were there.

Negotiations are hard...especially if you want a win-win solution. However, it is possible to have a solution that is quite close to a win-win if we follow the sheet Ken handed out.
We need to gather as much information as we can and find out to what extent of a compromise would still count as a win-win for all...if that makes sense:)

I look forward to having more of these negotiation-classes!

Leading at the Edge #1

1. Have you ever been in a situation that tested you to your limits? 

 In Junior High, there was a period of time that I went through depression. I knew what the reason was and for a while, I tried everything I could to fix the situation, to try to make things back as they were before. However, it was when I realized that the situation was completely over my power that I started to live life again.

 In challenging times, I think the most important thing you need to know are your limits. ORRR if you're a leader, then you need to know your crew members' limits.
 It is one thing to try to stretch your limits but to know when to stop is another.


2. Have you ever had to set a new mark? How did you handle it?

 I came back from the states when I was 6 years old, in my second year of elementary school. Now because there were no other returnees in my new school in Japan, I was always praised for being able to speak and write in English. I guess that kind of environment led me to think that I was 'special' and I honestly flipping loved it. However, when I got into a private Junior High school, I was suddenly surrounded by 'real returnees' who came back in 5th or 6th grade. Anyways, the returnee english classes were divided into two; the advanced and regular. I know, the name of the classes are horrible. haha
 Initially, being the self-confident(I mean self-confident about my english)girl that I was, I expected to be put in the advanced class butttt of course much to my surprise, I was naturally put in the regular class. I was mortified, embarrassed and also lost my self-confidence completely. The recognition of how poor my english really was, was a major demotivation. It was a little after that, that i found out that the teachers actually move students from regular to advanced vice-versa,  every year if they feel like a student is not in the right class. That was when I changed my stance 360°. Originally my plan was to be in the advanced class but of course I did not get in so I set a new mark, to become the best in the regular class and to wait for the teachers to realize my abilities. After that, I worked extremely hard to catch up with my friends in the advanced class, to show everybody that I can too take the work in the advanced class. Every year, I would hope for the teachers to suddenly call me up and inform me of the news but for the next 2 years, I heard nothing. I honestly did start to give up but at the same time, I never let go of my goal to become the best in the regular class. Finally in my first year of high school, I was called up by a teacher and was told to move up a class. I was elated of the news.


 Nothing in life goes as planned; but you just can't stop there and think back on the things that you should've done or shouldn't have. You need to face the reality that is there in front of you fearlessly in order to reach your ultimate goal. ANDDDD when you reach your ultimate goal, I guess you have all the time in the world to nag and regret about the past.haha


I guess these are all a lot things that I went through individually but I hope someday I will be using these experiences as a leader as well;)

Sept 11th; Does a Happy Boss Create a Happy Workplace?

 So after Monday's little intro to what our class would be like during this term, today we've finally started to discuss,,,YES!haha
The paper Ken handed out was on Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership. More than the content of the matter, what intrigued me more was how different workplaces were perceived in America and in Japan. The content of the paper was probably a lot more relevant(obviously) to　workplaces in the US mainly for the workers' expectations towards their workplace and general ideology of what a workplace is. In the US, a workplace is considered a flexible environment that is able to bend in many ways in order to make work flow more efficient. However in Japan, a workplace is a more strict, rigid and restricted environment. You have your 'buchos' and 'kachos' who you would never dare to talk over.  There is a certain distance among the workers divided by their ranks. This is considered unchangeable because that's just the way it is and always will be. The workers themselves never even try to make a difference. It is almost as if they expect to suffer  at their workplace.
Going back to my point, the article is adaptable in the US because general workplaces are constantly moving. Whereas in Japan, we've been stuck in the same ways, conventions for as long as we can remember.
I just wonder if a Japanese Bucho tried the same experiment (smiling in his or her workplace), he or she would not get the same results the article suggested...
or maybe i'm just being a bit too pessimistic.